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Victory!

* Anatole Kaletsky: Associate Editor of The Times* Professor Norman Stone: Professor of International Relations and Director of the Russian Centre at Bilkent University, Ankara.* Alexei Pushkov: Anchor of the most popular Russian TV programme “Post Scriptum” which has considerable influence on Russian public perception of international events.

Speakers against the motion:

* Edward Lucas: Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for the The Economist and author of The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces Both Russia and the West (2008).

Sunday, November 13, 2005

I first came across them in the 'Infobiuras' of the Lithuanianpro-independence movement, Sajudis, in early 1990.

Young, bright-eyed Americans, Canadians and Australians, steeped byfervently patriotic parents in the history of countries they hardlyknew, bent on fulfilling their historical destiny. They translateddocuments into English, briefed journalists, advised politicians andgenerally brought a blast of optimistic, confident radicalism to thenervous, blurry world of collapsing Communism.Sometimes the results were more spectacular than productive. Duringone of the hairier moments of the Lithuanian independence struggle,when it seemed as though the West, with the honourable but minorexception of Iceland, was going to abandon Lithuania to the mercies ofSoviet stormtroopers, I remember hearing one beefy young Lithuanianémigré bellowing down the phone "Don't be such a f***ing jerk!" Iasked him who he'd been talking to. "The American ambassador inMoscow," he replied tersely.There were grown-ups too. The most impressive, Stasys Lozoraitis, ran,unsuccessfully, for president of Lithuania in 1993. He had spent hiswhole life as ambassador to the Vatican and United States, in quixoticservice to a country that most of the world thought had disappeared in1940. He was urbane, polyglot, amusing, and charismatic, with anItalian wife who added a rare touch of glamour and sophistication tothe drab, stodgy world of Lithuania. Elsewhere, these high-poweredémigrés included a deeply impressive Canadian-Latvian professor oflinguistics, a forceful young man who ran the Estonian section ofRadio Free Europe and an ambitious Polish refugee-journalist, whoafter studying at Oxford in the early 1980s spent time inSoviet-occupied Afghanistan with the resistance.The galaxy of talent had some black holes too. There was one adviserto a Baltic foreign ministry whose sole qualification was a diploma inbar management and a hard-drinking old bat in an economics ministrywhose previous job was as a junior public relations woman for a themepark. One of the most energetic and engaging Lithuanian émigrés turnedout to have been working for both the KGB and the Americans (in whatorder was never completely clear).But the presumption then was that even the most modest émigré talentwas badly needed. Even the most superficial knowledge of the way theWest worked was a big advantage. Knowing how to use a computer, handlephone messages, talk politely to strangers in English and organisetravel to faraway places were all rare skills.That changed quickly. But the best émigré talent is still around. TheCanadian professor, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, is now president of Latviaand one of the few East European politicians with a claim to worldstatus. The young man from Radio Free Europe, Tom Ilves, is now aleading member of the European Parliament. The Anglo-Polishjournalist, Radek Sikorski, has just been sworn in as defence minister.But the political balance has changed. Now the diaspora appearsprovincial and out of touch. In Toronto, Ealing and the Chicagosuburbs, they are still baking the old recipes, learning folk songs,sending children to Saturday school and keeping the church afloat. Butthe diaspora is no longer the political lungs of nationhood: thesource of free ideas and discussion, a constant reminder that theCommunist version of the past, present and future was an evil fiction.In politics, it's the homeland that's humming.But not in economics. A million East Europeans or more have goneabroad in search of jobs and education. That raises a big question forthe ex-captive nations: can they ever attract these bright, mobilepeople back home?

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Regards

Edward

Bene Merito award

Without my foreknowledge, I was last year awarded the Bene Merito medal of the Polish Foreign Ministry. Although enormously honoured by this, I have sadly decided that I cannot accept it as it might give rise to at least the appearance of a conflict of interest in my coverage of Poland.

About me

"The New Cold War", first published in February 2008, is now available in a revised and updated edition with a foreword by Norman Davies. It has been translated into more than 15 foreign languages.
I am married to Cristina Odone and have three children. Johnny (1993, Estonia) Hugo (1995, Vienna) and Isabel (2003, London)